If Jaylene Delorme-Buggins could tell her younger self something, she would say, “hold on, there really is a light at the end of the tunnel and there's hope for the future.”
The 24-year-old member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation had some dark years.
She ran away from home in Yellowknife, cut class, drank and used drugs.
At 14, she was sent to a treatment centre in Calgary for 11 months. She spent time in a young offenders' facility.
“I never really thought that I would come out of that,” said Delorme-Buggins, who now lives in Hay River.
“I never thought that I would make the change.”
But about a year ago, Delorme-Buggins found her voice through Daughters of the Vote, an initiative that selects young women from across Canada to represent their communities on the national stage.
“It gave me the courage and empowerment to put my voice out there, and I really wanted it to be heard,” she said.
Now Delorme-Buggins is using her voice to help other young people who may be going through a rough time.
She is the northern youth representative for the Native Women's Association of Canada and a regional volunteer with the We Matter campaign, which uses YouTube videos to send messages of hope and support to Indigenous youth. Her activism takes her all over Canada.
Delorme-Buggins said she wouldn't be where she is today if it wasn't for her tough experiences.
Kelvin and Tunchai Redvers, siblings from Hay River, founded We Matter in 2016 recognizing that Indigenous young people struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide may not have someone to lift them up in their own community.
“We're not here to tell you everything is going to be rosy all the time,” said Kelvin Redvers. “Because it's just not.”
We Matter aims to give young people resources and encouragement to get through hard times.
“Everything that we go through makes us who we are,” said Redvers.
No one should have to experience violence or abuse, he said, “but it's not a doomed sentence if you go through that kind of stuff.”
“There is a lot of strength in using the sadness or the anger that you have to put it toward something that can bring positivity to the world,” said Redvers.
Delorme-Buggins is a prime example of that, he added.
“She's been through so many hard things but it has made her such a strong, proud person who speaks so well and is so passionate.”
We Matter website
On We Matter's website and YouTube channel, there are videos from rappers, comedians, elders, kids and politicians. Undoubtedly, all of them have experienced their own dark times.
Olivia Haines lives in Alexis Creek, B.C. She was 16 years old when she made her We Matter video.
“Here are some hardships I've faced,” said Haines, within the first 15 seconds of the recording.
First, her grandmother died, which left Haines feeling depressed and alone.
Then she found herself in an abusive relationship.
“Through this time, I was really, really depressed and suicidal,” said Haines. “I was cutting a lot and I wasn't asking for help.”
She goes on to say that in January 2017, her boyfriend posted explicit pictures of her online and police got involved.
Haines said from these experiences, she learned to let bad things to roll off her, like “water rolling off a duck's back.”
“It doesn't work for everybody but it personally works for me right now,” she said.
“Sure I have my bad days but they aren't as frequent and they aren't as bad as they were before.”
Haines said seeing a counsellor, talking to her parents and hanging out with her friends are things that help her feel better.
She encourages young people feeling down to call a suicide hotline (in Northwest Territories, 1-800-661-0844) or the toll-free Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868).
Sometimes, said Delorme-Buggins, young people benefit most from the support of others their own age.
“Growing up, my mom would always be like, 'back in my day … 'Yeah but this is my day, it's not the same,” she said. “You want to listen to your peers, people going through the same things.”
It doesn't matter how a person looks on paper, where he lives, or what she's been through, said Delorme-Buggins.
“You don't have to be anybody to be somebody ... there's a chance for change, there's a chance to become somebody, to become a leader, if that's what you want to do.”